It has been 50 years now, but Dick Calderazzo remembers it like it was yesterday. And why wouldn’t he? That number “50” is seared into his memory and woven into the fabric of this Michigan-Ohio State rivalry that’ll mark another anniversary Saturday in Columbus.

If 1969 was the game that changed the rivalry, as Bo Schembechler fired the first shot in his fabled Ten Year War with Woody Hayes, the ’68 game — 50 years ago today in Ohio Stadium — was the one that provided the ammunition.

The Buckeyes routed the Wolverines that late-November afternoon, breaking open a tight game with a second-half onslaught, one that fullback Jim Otis punctuated by scoring a late touchdown and then heaving the football into the stands in celebration.

What followed, though, is the urban legend that everyone remembers, as Ohio State added insult to injury by going for two instead of kicking the extra point. The conversion failed, but the affront still registered, and as the story goes, Hayes, the irascible Hall of Fame coach, was asked after the game why he went for two, to which he replied, “Because I couldn’t go for three!”

Problem is, there’s no record of Hayes actually saying that. And 50 years later there is laughter on both sides of the rivalry over the story, and the embellished end of that game, which really was the beginning of the modern-day enmity that’ll play out again Saturday with another matchup of top-10 teams in Columbus.

“Everybody thinks it was a conscious decision,” said Mark Stier, a senior captain on the 1968 Ohio State team that went on to beat USC in the Rose Bowl to complete an undefeated national championship season. “I mean, it makes great press, and it certainly fired up Michigan for the next year. I’m sure those guys got so tired of hearing that. But it really wasn’t true.”

That’s true of so much of the sports lore we cherish and repeat, of course, from Babe Ruth’s called shot to Knute Rockne’s “Win one for the Gipper” speech. The fiction endures not just because it fits, but because it’s more fun.

And on that count you’ll get no quarrel from Calderazzo, a junior who played right guard for Bump Elliott’s Wolverines.

“Oh, really?” he laughed, when told this week about some of the Buckeyes’ backstory. “They didn’t want to go for two?”

Well, that’s hard to say, exactly. But as Stier and a dozen of his teammates gathered in Columbus last month to celebrate the golden anniversary of their ’68 title run, that’s just one of many old yarns that pulled them all together.

“The old guys sit around and talk about Woody stories and people kind of shake their heads and say, ‘You’re making that up,’” Stier said, chuckling. “No, we’re not. You couldn’t do some of the stuff that he or Bo did back in the day. You’d have lawsuits and you’d be fired.”

In fact, that’s part of the legacy of that ’68 team.

Saved Woody’s job?

“When I was a sophomore and junior, we weren’t very good,” said Stier, the lone senior starter on Hayes’ defense in ’68. “And at a school like Ohio State or Michigan, you can’t do that very long, or you’re gonna get fired. There’s been books been written about ’68 being the year that saved Woody’s job. And to some extent, that’s probably accurate.”

The 1966 team produced just his second losing season in 16 years at Ohio State, and the ’67 squad also finished unranked at 6-3 — a sixth straight year without a Big Ten title — though Hayes and his staff earned a reprieve with a season-ending run capped by a win over the Wolverines in Ann Arbor.

Another thing that was apparent that year, though, was the talent in Ohio State’s freshman class. Freshmen weren’t eligible to play until 1972 in college football, but in the fall of ’67, a recruiting class that included 13 future NFL draft picks — Jack Tatum, Jim Stillwagon, John Brockington, Leo Hayden and others — made its presence felt.

“We were getting our behinds kicked on a pretty regular basis,” Stier said. “They had speed, they had quickness, and they had athleticism that we didn’t have.”

They also had some new faces on the coaching staff — including George Chaump and Glenn Ellison — who convinced Hayes to use the I-formation and implement a hurry-up offense. And by the time that ’68 team and it’s “Super Sophomores” reached the end of the regular season, the Buckeyes were ranked No. 2 in the country.

Michigan came in ranked No. 4, winners of eight in a row after a season-opening loss to California, and “That Team Up North” was welcomed in the usual way in Columbus.

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Jim Harbaugh's Wolverines versus Urban Meyer's Buckeyes... will it equal the rivalry between legendary Michigan and Ohio State coaches Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes? Time will tell, but so far Harbaugh's Wolverines are 0-3 as the fourth installment of The Game approaches in Columbus, Ohio. In 2015, Harbaugh's first season at the helm, Ohio State whipped the Wolverines 42-13 in Ann Arbor. Last year Michigan pushed the Buckeyes to double overtime before losing 30-27 in Columbus. Ohio State won last year's meeting, 31-20. In this photo the two coaches greet one another before last year's game at the Horseshoe. John T. Greilick, Detroit News

2017: Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh looks up at the scoreboard after Ohio State converted a point-after-touchdown to take the lead 21-20 in the third quarter of a 31-20 loss to the Buckeyes. It was Ohio State's 13th victory in the last 14 meetings with Michigan. Harbaugh has yet to beat Ohio State as Michigan's head coach. John T. Greilick, Detroit News

2017: Michigan defensive lineman Rashan Gary (3) pulls down Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett in the first quarter. Barrett had to leave the game in the second half with an injury. David Guralnick, Detroit News

2017: Michigan quarterback John O'Korn takes a hard hit from Ohio State defensive lineman Nick Bosa after throwing an incomplete pass in the third quarter. O'Korn was 17-of-32 passing for 195 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked five times in the 31-20 loss. John T. Greilick, Detroit News

2016: Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett stretches for a first down during a controversial fourth-down play in overtime. After a review the call of first down was upheld. on the next play Curtis Samuel ran for a 15-yard touchdown to give the Buckeyes a 30-27 double-overtime victory at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, November 26, 2016. David Guralnick, Detroit News

2016: Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett is sacked by a host of Michigan defenders including Jabrill Peppers (5). Barrett rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown as the Buckeyes edged the Wolverines 30-27 in Columbus. David Guralnick, Detroit News

2016: Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh shows his displeasure with a personal foul call against the Wolverines that nullified a big gain by running back De'Veon Smith late in the third quarter. Third-ranked Michigan lost to 2nd-ranked Ohio State 30-27 in double overtime in front of the largest crowd ever at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, Novemeber 26, 2016. John T. Greilick, Detroit News

2016: The Ohio State defense bottle up Michigan's Jabrill Peppers after a two-yard gain in the second quarter. Peppers, in his final game at Michigan (he was injured for the Orange Bowl loss to Florida State), was held to just four yards on four carries, but he did intercept a pass. John T. Greilick, Detroit News

2016: Ohio State freshman running back Mike Weber Jr., a product of Cass Tech High School in Detroit, walks proudly off the field after the Buckeyes defeated the Wolverines 30-27 in double-overtime. Weber, who almost went to Michigan, rushed for 26 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. John T. Greilick, Detroit News

2015: Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 214 yards and two touchdowns in the 2015 game. Here he celebrates his second-quarter touchdown with a lift from Ohio State offensive lineman Chase Farris during OSU's 42-13 victory in Ann Arbor. John T. Greilick, Detroit News

2015: Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott blocks Michigan safety Delano Hill, knocking him head-over-heels on this second-half play. Elliott was blocking for quarterback J.T. Barrett (background) who rushed for a first down on the play. John T. Greilick, Detroit News

2015: Ohio State defensive lineman Joey Bosa sacks Michigan quarterback Jake Rudock, causing him to fumble and injuring him on the play in the fourth quarter. The fumble was later reversed, but Rudock had to be helped off the field and did not return. Bosa and Rudock were high school teammates in Florida. Now they both play on Sundays in the NFL. Rudock as a Lions backup quarterback. Bosa as a defensive end with the Chargers. John T. Greilick, Detroit News

2015: Michigan running back De'Veon Smith (4) and defensive end Chris Wormley (background) walk dejectedly off the field after the loss. Smith was held to just 23 yards on 10 carries. John T. Greilick, Detroit News

The Buckeyes and the Wolverines mix it up on a muddy field in this undated photo from one of their first games. In the early years, 1897-1912, Michigan was dominant, outscoring the Buckeyes 214-6. The Detroit News archives

1918: Under coach Fielding H. Yost, left, the Michigan team prevails 14–0 and lodges its eleventh shutout over the Buckeyes. The rivalry has been renewed every year since then, with Michigan leading the series, 58–46–6. Public domain

1919: The Buckeyes, led by halfback Chic Harley, win their first game in the series, beating the Wolverines 13–3. Harley was a three-time All-American who also played defense, punted and kicked extra points. Columbus Dispatch

1933: Future U.S. President Gerald Ford is the backup center for Michigan as the Wolverines repeat as Big Ten and national champions, going 7-0-1 under fifth-year head coach Harry Kipke. The Ohio State game is a 13-0 shutout for Michigan. The Detroit News archives

1935: The Ohio State band performs at Michigan Stadium, which was possibly more entertaining for Michigan fans than the game, a 38-0 pasting by Ohio State. Coach Francis Schmidt and the Buckeyes claimed their first Big Ten title in 15 years. The Detroit News archives

1938: Michigan fans rush for the goal posts in the Ohio State University Stadium after the Wolverines whip the Buckeyes 18-0. Ohio State supporters protest and a free-for-all results. Michigan doesn't get the posts. AP

1937: Multi-sport star Elmer Gedeon of Michigan played end, but could also pass and punt and was the fastest man on the squad. Michigan lost to Ohio State 21-0, the identical score to the 1926 game. Gedeon would go on to play Major League Baseball but was killed piloting a B-26 bomber on a mission over France in 1944. The Detroit News archives

1940: Heisman Trophy winner Tom Harmon closes out his career for Michigan with a memorable peformance in Columbus: 2 rushing touchdowns, 2 throwing touchdowns, a pick-six interception for a score and four extra points (he was the kicker, too!). Michigan wins, 40-0. The Detroit News archives

1944: Ohio State coach Carroll Widdoes, center, celebrates with players in the dressing room at Columbus after the undefeated Buckeyes edge the Wolverines, 18-14. At left is running back Les Horvath, who scored two touchdowns; at right is guard Bill Hackett. CW, AP

1947: Fritz Crisler, right, Michigan's coach from 1938 to 1947, watches the Ohio State game from the sideline. The player at left is unidentified. Crisler compiled a 7-2-1 record against Ohio State during his tenure, including a 21-0 win in 1947. AP

1950: The game would attain legendary status and a nickname, the Snow Bowl. A blizzard made playing conditions and statistics ridiculous. Michigan punted 23 times, did not make any first downs -- and won the game! A safety and a touchdown, both on blocked punts, was enough for a 9-3 victory. Detroit News archives

1954: Howard (Hopalong) Cassady of Ohio State leaps between Michigan's Ted Cachey (65) and Dan Cline (44) to score the Buckeyes' final touchdown from the one-yard line in Columbus. Tally climaxed a 62-yard drive in fourth quarter which gave Ohio State a 21-7 victory. AP

1955: Howard "Hopalong" Cassady was only 5 feet 10, 150 pounds, but he was a game-changing Ohio State running back, winner of the 1955 Heisman trophy. Against Michigan, he would gain 146 yards, leading the Buckeyes to a 17-0 victory. Cassady would be drafted in the first round by the Detroit Lions. Columbus Dispatch

1958: Ohio State wins 20-14, but Michigan coach Bennie Oosterbaan is lifted by guard Douglas Oppman (60), center Gordon Morrow (58) and other players. Oosterbaan retired after 11 years as head coach with a 63–33–4 record. AP

1969: Bo Schembechler is carried off the field by his team after they knock off the No. 1 ranked Buckeyes in Ann Arbor, 24-12. "You'll never win a bigger game," Woody tells Bo. Sports Illustrated/Getty Images

1973: Michigan's All-American placekicker Mike Lantry misses a field goal during the game against Ohio State, which ended in a 10-10 tie. Both teams had 10-0-1 records, but the Big Ten athletic directors voted to send Ohio State to the Rose Bowl. The Detroit News archives

1973: The day after the game, coach Schembechler leaves a Detroit television station after taping his weekly show and shortly after hearing that Ohio State would represent the conference in the Rose Bowl. "I'm very bitter," he said. "It's a tragic thing for Big Ten football." AP

1986: Senior quarterback Jim Harbaugh leads the Wolverines, while OSU linebacker Chris Spielman is the defensive star for Ohio State. Spielman made 29 tackles in the game, but Harbaugh, Jamie Morris and the rest of the Michigan gang pulled out the victory, 26-24. The Detroit News archives

1998: Bo Schembechler prepares the Wolverines for their Rose Bowl Bowl outing in December 1988. In November the Wolverines beat Ohio State in a 34-31 cliffhanger, winning the Big Ten title outright, along with a trip to the Rose Bowl. Michigan won that one too, defeating USC 22-14. The Detroit News archives

1995: Michigan running back Tim Biakabutuka runs down the field vs. the Buckeyes at Michigan Stadium. Michigan wins in Lloyd Carr's first season as coach, 31-23. Matthew Stockman, Allsport/Getty Images

1997: Charles Woodson (2) celebrates with teammates in the first half of the game against Ohio State in Ann Arbor. Woodson scored on a 78-yard punt return and Michigan went on to win, 20-14. Clarence Tabb, The Detroit News

2003: It was the 100th game in the rivalry, a battle between No. 4 (Ohio State) and No. 5 (Michigan). Linebacker Pierre Woods holds a rose in his teeth as the final seconds tick off the clock of Michigan's 35-21 victory over OSU, making the Wolverines the outright Big Ten champions at the Big House in Ann Arbor. John T. Greilick, The Detroit News

2006: It was the battle of the unbeatens, No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 1 Ohio State. The unexpected death of Michigan coaching legend Bo Schembechler the day before adds even more meaning to this huge game at Ohio Stadium. Above, OSU's John Kerr gets upended as he tries to sack Michigan quarterback Chad Henne. ... Ankur Dholakia, The Detroit News

2006: Michigan's Prescott Burgess, left, and Morgan Trent can't stop Ohio State running back Antonio Pittman, and the Buckeyes win the battle of unbeatens, 42-39. They would go to the BCS National Championship Game and lose to Florida. John T. Greilick, The Detroit News

2007: Michigan coach Lloyd Carr shakes hands with Ohio State coach Jim Tressel after the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory in Ann Arbor. The loss drops his record against Tressel to 1-6. Carr would retire at the end of the season. John T. Greilick, The Detroit News

2009: Coach Rich Rodriguez walks off the field after turnovers doomed Michigan. Tate Forcier threw four interceptions and fumbled the ball in the end zone, which was recovered for an Ohio State touchdown. The Buckeyes, wearing 1954 throwback jerseys, handed the Wolverines their sixth loss in a row in the rivalry, 21-10. John T. Greilick, The Detroit News

2010: Ohio State defensive back Jermale Hines breaks up a pass intended for Michigan wide receiver Roy Roundtree as the Buckeyes win again, 37-7. It was the final regular season game for both Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez, who was fired in January, and Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, who resigned in May, 2011, after he was accused of covering up a memorabilia sale scandal. John T. Greilick, The Detroit News

2012: Michigan's Denard Robinson rips through two Ohio State defenders before sprinting 67 yards for a touchdown in the first half, but Ohio State would win the game, 26-21. Quarterback Devin Gardner was sacked four times, fumbled twice and threw an interception. John T. Greilick, The Detroit News

2013: It was another thriller in Ann Arbor as Michigan mounts a furious comeback in the 4th quarter but falls short, 42-41. Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner runs the ball into the end zone for a first quarter touchdown. David Guralnick, The Detroit News

2014: Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott is tackled by Michigan defensive back Channing Stribling, left, and linebacker Joe Bolden. Elliott and quarterback J.T. Barrett would each score two touchdowns as the Buckeyes prevail again, 42-28, in Columbus. David Guralnick, The Detroit News

The 2014 game would be Brady Hoke's final game as Michigan's coach, as the team did not qualify for a bowl game for only the third time since 1975. Hoke compiled a 31–20 record at Michigan. David Guralnick, The Detroit News

2015: Michigan chased Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott all day as he ran for 214 yards and two touchdowns to help Ohio State rout Michigan 42-13 in Jim Harbaugh's first year as Michigan's head coach. David Guralnick, Detroit News

“I remember the night before the game, the alarm went off in the hotel, the power went out, they made us evacuate the building,” Calderazzo said. “And then I walk out for the pregame warmup and two ladies are waiting for me with a big cup full of something and throw it inside my helmet.”

The game was 21-14 at halftime, but “then they just blew us out in the second half,” scoring 29 unanswered points, Calderazzo recalled, including that final run over the left tackle by Otis with just over a minute remaining.

At that point, some of the reserves were in the game, including quarterback Bill Long, the two-year starter who’d been passed over for Rex Kern as a senior. In at center was Jim Roman, replacing John Muhlbach, who’d apparently left the game with an injury, though the only one he remembers now was the broken leg he suffered in the Rose Bowl against USC. (“Got clipped on a punt return with 10 minutes left to go,” he said. “I’d never had a broken bone from the time I started playing in the fifth grade in Massillon, Ohio.”)

But that was a problem, Muhlbach notes with a laugh, “because Jim was our placekicker, as well as the backup center.” And that’s the answer that Hayes gave reporters that afternoon when asked about the two-point try. Muhlbach was out, Roman was in, and according to the Akron Beacon-Journal’s account the next day, Hayes said, “our other field goal man, Larry Zelina, was groggy after getting a bump in the head.”

“So they just decided to go for two because Roman couldn’t both snap the ball and kick it,” said Muhlbach, the uncle of Lions long-snapper Don Muhlbach.

‘No love for Michigan’

Just who decided what is still up for debate, including the play call for a pass attempt by Long that sailed out of the back of the end zone.

“I still remember Woody out on the field holding up one finger in the air,” Stier said. “But Bill Long, he’s just kinda waving. And he’s a senior, so what’s Woody gonna do. ‘Ah, screw this, we’re gonna go for two.’”

According to Roman, the players discussed calling a timeout amid all the confusion in the huddle.

“And then they all said, ‘Well, the old man will go hysterical if we call timeout, so we might as well just run a play and whatever happens, happens,’” Stier said.

But what about Hayes’ infamous quote?

“I’ve been asked that question a lot, and I’ve asked the question a lot,” said Jack Park, the Ohio State football historian. “And I’ve never talked to anybody who heard Woody say it.”

The players on the team certainly didn’t hear it, though they wouldn’t put it past him.

“He wasn’t very funny very often, but occasionally he came up with a good one,” Muhlbach said. “And there was no love there for anything from Michigan.”

Still, none of the local papers mentioned it the next day, save for an admission from Hayes in the Ohio State student newspaper that “we wanted more than 50 points.” And a story in the Akron paper quoting Michigan offensive coordinator Tony Mason grousing about Hayes, “That fat hog went for two! That’s why he’s not wanted in this profession.”

“I don’t know if Woody said it or not,” Stier said. “Part of the story I heard is it was one of the assistants that said it and then Woody got tagged with it, and he ran with it.”

Relations between Michigan and Ohio State were bitter when Bo Schembechler arrived in Ann Arbor in 1969, and they only got testier over the next decade.(Photo: Associated Press)

And if he didn’t, others would, including Lou Holtz, who was an assistant on Hayes’ staff for just that one season but has told the story countless times since, including at a charity roast that was held for Hayes a week before his death in 1987.

Some have even suggested the quote came years earlier, when Hayes had his Buckeyes go for two in the waning seconds of a 50-20 win at Michigan in 1961. That time the conversion was successful, and Hayes spoke afterward about trying to run up the score to impress the national pollsters.

Whatever the case, for Calderazzo and the Wolverines, the message had been received, loud and clear.

“It was sort of insulting, and all the players were quite resentful,” Calderazzo said. “And the guys in my class, the juniors — Jimmy Mandich, Cecil Pryor — they just yelled at everybody on the bus, ‘Don’t forget what they did to us today! Don’t forget this (expletive)!’”

They wouldn’t. And even if they’d wanted to, Bo wasn’t going to let them.

When everything changed

Schembechler, a protégé of Hayes, was hired with a handshake to replace Elliott just after Christmas and it didn’t take long for the players to understand just what that meant. Winter workout that left players gagging, or fighting, or often both. And instead of two-a-days in August camp, Schembechler had his team going through three-a-days.

But after an up-and-down start, the Wolverines were rolling by November. And after demolishing Iowa on the road for their fourth straight lopsided win, they were riding an emotional wave.

“I mean, we were flying,” Calderazzo said.

So much so, in fact, that Jerry Hanlon, one of Schembechler’s trusted assistants, voiced a concern shared by many on the coaching staff.

Besides, Bo knew he had something else that would keep his players intensity level up. When the players gathered for the Monday team meeting to get the scouting report, Schembechler wasted little time in bringing up the ’68 game.

“Bo said, ‘The old man put 50 on your head, and I’m not gonna let you forget it,’” Calderazzo said. “And then we left there and went to our lockers and realized, ‘Holy Christ, he means it.’ Because there’s that stupid number ‘50’ everywhere. You couldn’t make a move without seeing it.”

On the shower curtains. On the locker stalls. And even written on pieces of masking tape affixed to the front of the helmets of all the freshman players on the scout team, “so they’re looking at you,” Calderazzo said, “and you’re looking at 50.”

“It was a type of incentive that was easy to put up,” Hanlon said, chuckling. “I think it worked.”

It worked, all right. Michigan, a 17-point underdog, stunned the top-ranked Buckeyes that week in Ann Arbor, a 24-12 victory that snapped Ohio State’s 22-game win streak and shocked the college football world. Bill Flemming, the ABC announcer, dubbed it the “upset of the century.”

Hayes always insisted that Ohio State team wasn’t just the best one he ever coached, but perhaps the best in the history of college football, outscoring opponents by a combined 371-69 score heading into the finale in Ann Arbor.

The first time they trailed all season was in that first half against Michigan, and a Sports Illustrated article that week had suggested the only matchup worthy of deciding who was No. 1 would be one that featured the Buckeyes' offense against its own defense.

Not so, as it turned out.

“There’s an old saying that I learned from the coach at Ohio State,” Schembechler said, talking about the ’69 win and what led to it. “When people start saying a lot of nice things about you, look out.”